Tories an equal opportunities employer???

This proves that the Tories no very little about Equal Opportunities and Equal Pay.


Millionaire Tory cabinet ministers have been asked to give up their salaries in order to allow the "Beyoncé" of the House of Lords to take her place around the cabinet table - and be paid as such.

When David Cameron reshuffled his cabinet earlier this month he promoted Baroness Stowell to the job of leader of the House of Lords. She replaced his nominee for EU commissioner, Lord Hill.

However due to the restriction on the number of people allowed to be fully paid-up members of the cabinet, the prime minister decided not to give her full cabinet rank. The move sparked accusations of sexism, as Lord Hill had been a full cabinet member and was paid as such.

Stowell, who is allowed to attend cabinet but is not a formal member, is paid £78,891. Lord Hill was paid £101,038 to do the same job.

It also triggered an uprising, or at least what passes for one, in the House of Lords on Monday evening. Peers from all sides railed against Cameron's decision to "humiliate" the Lords by downgrading its representative in government.

Peers backed a motion, tabled by former Commons speaker Baroness Boothroyd, urging the prime minister to promote Stowell, by 177 to 29, a majority of 148.

Stowell said that Cameron had "no intention of diminishing the standing" of the Lords. And she insisted there was no danger of her shying away from "giving unpalatable advice" to the prime minister on behalf of peers simply because she was not formally a member of the cabinet.

She added: "I am an independent woman and a single lady. Noble Lords might want to think of me as the Beyoncé of your Lordships’ House."

But Lord Butler, the former head of the civil service, said one solution would be for another existing cabinet minister to give up their pay.

"It would be possible—indeed, it has often happened in the past—for ministers who are members of the cabinet to choose not to take their salary," he said.

"I do not think that it would be unreasonable to ask that one of the present members of the cabinet for the next 10 months should forego their salary, so that the Leader of our House can be a member of the cabinet. I hope that it is not invidious to say that I think that there are members of the cabinet who could afford to do that. Indeed, they might simply be anticipating the position that they will be in anyway in 10 months’ time."

And Lord Armstrong, another former civil service head, said that "not only is the House of Lords being treated with disdain" but Stowell was being treated "shabbily" by being paid less than her male predecessor.

Labour's Baroness Royall was equally scathing. "It cannot be right that a female Leader of the Lords is paid less than her counterpart was," she said. "It is a terrible example for the women of this country. All this comes from a prime minister who we were told was reshuffling his cabinet with the aim of promoting women and equality."

So far, no cabinet ministers have come forward to volunteer to work for nothing in order that Stowell can get paid a full cabinet wage.

Re: Tories an equal opportunities employer???

Unless it can be proved a man would have been treated differently I can't see this as sexism. I thought you didn't support the lords anyway so would support this move ?

Re: Tories an equal opportunities employer???

No Julie I don't support this, yes I want the House of Lords abolished in its entirety, but until that is acccomplished there needs to be equality whilst it exists and since, as the article pointed out, the previous incumbent (a man) was paid considerably higher, then the only conclusion to be drawn is that the Tories are NOT equal opportunities employers.

Re: Tories an equal opportunities employer???

Or they are doing what they have asked so many others to do and tightening their budgets up, personally I think the amounts they are all paid should be cut dramatically. Get them on NMW and see how many are in it for the money and how many really care.

Re: Tories an equal opportunities employer???

I wouldn't necessarily disagree Julie but that is a totally separate issue.

Re: Tories an equal opportunities employer???

Why just the Tories? Labour had 13 years in power to address equality issues and the gaps were as wide as ever afterwards. It is also interesting that Prescott was deputy PM but Harriot Harman was not given the same title on her succession. It is ridiculous then to argue that this is a one party issue only, however much you are desperate for it to be.....

Re: Tories an equal opportunities employer???

This is one occasion when the Labour Party (not that I'm a supporter anyway) has anything to do with it - The Leader in the House of Lords - at the moment a Tory because the Tory Party are in Government cannot apparently rely on her own Party colleague to do the decent thing and pay her the same rate of pay as her predessor received, notwithstanding that Cameron (phth, phth, phth) professes to want equality - seems what he says and what he actually does is far apart - a hypocrite!!!

Re: Tories an equal opportunities employer???

When all else fails delve back into history and use the typical playground excuse "please Miss they did it first"

The question posed is is the current Government an equal opportunities employer?

Governments are expected to learn from the past and use it to build and improve on. Not to bleat about it as an excuse.

Re: Tories an equal opportunities employer???

May I say that I am appalled as anyone that sex inequality still exists at all, but my point is that this is not a party political issue but an establishment one. It seems ridiculous to portray one as being worse than the other over one instance when they are all as bad.... even the touchy feely wishy washy Lib Dems, for all of their rhetoric, still don't have a single front line female....

Re: Tories an equal opportunities employer???

Completely agree it isn't a party issue and as I said earlier unless a man is treated differently then it isn't sexism anyway.